A wireless access point (AP) is a primary network access device of a wireless network such as a wireless local area network (LAN). The wireless AP enables one or more wireless communication devices to access the wireless LAN using exemplary wireless communication standards such as WiFi, Bluetooth, 60 GHz, ZigBee and/or picocell cellular. Wireless APs are operable to support one or more wireless communication standards for sending and receiving data utilizing radio frequencies (RF) rather than cabling. For example, wireless APs may use standards defined by IEEE such as IEEE 802.11 standards.
In an enterprise or corporate environment, several wireless APs may be communicatively coupled to a wired network such as a wired local area network (LAN), thereby providing wireless access to the wired network. A wireless AP may also be used in a home wireless network for connecting wireless enabled computers and/or other wireless communication devices in a home. In such instances, the wireless AP may be integrated in a wireless router which may include the wireless AP, a router, an Ethernet switch and/or a broadband modem.
In an area such as in an unban area, the density of wireless APs may be high, and the same industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) spectrum may be shared by hundreds of wireless APs. In this regard, the higher the density of the wireless APs is, the lesser the bandwidth that may be available to each of the wireless APs.
The actual coverage or range of the wireless AP may vary depending on such variables as indoor or outdoor environment, height above ground, nearby obstructions, interference from other active devices broadcasting on the same frequency, type of antenna, the current weather, operating radio frequency, and/or the power output of the wireless AP.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.